This invention relates to hand tools, specifically to such tools which are used for securing and holding cargo in the bed of a truck such as a pick-up truck to resist sliding and movement of the cargo therein.
The cargo area of most vehicles is a metal painted surface or surface covered with carpet or plastic. Most items (cargo) which are transported in vehicles are cover or contained in cellulose or plastic material. This does not provide much resistance when the transporting surface and the cargo are in contact. The combination of these surfaces is excellent for the loading and unloading cargo. The movement of cargo during transport can cause damage to the cargo or transporting area, spillage of the cargo, or a distraction to the operator driving the vehicle to mention a few. Each of the instances mentioned above equates to additional time required whether it be clean-up, repair, extra handling, frustration, or a safety issue when cargo does not remain in close proximity or position where it was loaded. Different style mats or devises have been used in the past to reduce the movement of cargo. Items used to cover the transporting surface that reduce the movement making it difficult to slide cargo during loading and unloading. The covering also makes it difficult and inconvenient to clean the cargo area of a vehicle. Current devices used to keep cargo in place can be difficult to store when not in use or are specialized to work with other products to be effective. Some devices require the transporting vehicle to physically altered by drilling or gluing.
Other known restraining devices generate their resistance from matching or using physical contours or characteristics of the transporting area.
The present invention can be used on a number of different surfaces, which means it is flexible in its use from vehicle to vehicle and can be easily stored. The invention can be used in any orientation or on any cargo and is independent of the design of the transporting surface.
The device has an upper block portion for abutting and holding the cargo in place and a lower planar portion providing a base which is held in place by the cargo. The base includes a reinforcement member embedded, inserted, or molded into a flexible material and designed to provide a rigid structure with a coefficient of friction higher than most packaging material. The base and/or upper block portion may be comprised of rigid material wherein the bottom surface of the base may consist of a softer flexible material attached thereto by molding, adhesion, welding, or other attachment means to enhance adhesion or grip to the surface supporting the cargo holding device and cargo. Of course, different areas of the same structure may be comprised of the same polymer molded together having different hardness, such as where an upper portion may be formed of xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d durometer hardness polyvinyl chloride and the bottom of the base is formed from xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d durometer hardness polyvinyl chloride having a similar composition, but containing more plasticizer providing enhanced flexibility.
The present invention relies on a contact plane between the transporting surface and the device to resist movement of the cargo when transporting. The bottom surface of the device may be smooth or textured but is not intended to match any physical shape of the transporting surface. The incorporation of an upper portion designed to contain the cargo and a lower portion composed of a suitable durometer material to increase friction on the top plane of a transporting surface enables the present invention to be more versatile and inexpensive to manufacture.
Bars or grooves can be incorporated in the lower portion of the base of the cargo restraining device for taking advantage of physical shapes of the transporting surface. This is not necessary, but can be done. The design of using a combination of different materials in the upper and lower portions this invention make molding the lower surface of the base in a particular shape economically feasible.
The present invention is designed to be flexible in its use to be used in different vehicle classes, trailers, trucks, and boats. The design of this invention can use materials with different physical properties as new ones are developed which may have greater cost effectiveness.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a device in which cargo will resist sliding and tipping. This is accomplished using this device which the cargo will rest on and against. The downward pressure of the cargo will transfer this pressure to the device, which will contact the transporting surface. The friction that is created by the device will resist motion. The device will also resist tipping by creating an opposing force when this action takes place. This is accomplished by using the device, which increases the distance between the cargo""s center of gravity and the point of rotation (moment).
The present invention uses a unique way of attaching a material, which has a higher coefficient of friction than the cargo to rigid material. By doing this the weight of the cargo or the physical motion of the cargo against the rigid material is transfer to act against the higher coefficient of friction material. By using this method the device can work on numerous transporting surfaces.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cargo restraining device which does not rely on a locking mechanics or locking mechanism to the transporting surface to hold the cargo n place.
It is an object of the present invention to not require a particular physical shape of the transporting surface.
It is an object of the present invention for the bottom surface plane to be independent and only requires the transporting plane.
It is an object of the present invention to be usable in infinite locations on the transporting vehicle surface due the fact it relies on a plane of contact.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of locating as close to the cargo as possible and place on the transporting surface wherever desired.
It is an object of the present invention to resist tipping.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an upper and lower portion that are mechanically locked together to form a uniform part.